Friday, February 1, 2013

Bryna Butler author Spotlight!

Let's get to know author Bryna Butler!

Can you give us
your favorite quote from one of your books and explain it?

One of my favorite quotes comes from my newest book, Shadows Rising. In this scene, Keira
faces off against the leader of a group of extremists that believe her charge
is keeping her from her destiny. I think this quote is a great mix of Keira’s
courage and her youth.

“You keep
yapping about my charge being a distraction, but here I am dealing with you
again. Leave us and my charge alone or die tonight at my hand. I mean it, jerk
wad.”

What types of
things/people/music inspires you and makes you want to keep writing?

I’m very inspired by my favorite authors. I often name
characters, places and things in my stories in homage to these authors and
their work. For instance, in the Midnight Guardian series there is a goth girl
named Mikayla Collins whom everyone calls Mikey. Mikey is clearly named in
honor of Michael Glass and Shane Collins, two of my favorite characters from
Rachel Caine’s Morganville series. Her goth look comes from another beloved
character in that series. Also, I’m a huge Joss Whedon fan (who isn’t?). If you
look hard enough, you will find several subtle references to Buffy and Firefly sprinkled throughout my books.

Describe your
typical writing day or week.

Just call me the “Night Writer”, not because it sounds like
an insanely cool superhero, but because it is true. For me, writing typically
begins after the kids are tucked into bed somewhere around 9 p.m. I grab a soda
from the fridge and settle in with my laptop. Typically, I first re-read and
edit the last thing I wrote before I start writing anything new. That refreshes
it in my mind and allows me to move forward.

Is there a food
or drink do you have to have when you're writing?

I can’t eat while I write. Sounds good in theory, but it
never works in practical application. BBQ sauce on the keys…melted cheese on
the screen...a whole chapter about brownies.

Can you tell us
what you're working on right now (& possibly provide an excerpt &
cover)?

Shadows Rising was released on January 18th. In this 4th
installment in the Midnight Guardian series, Keira and her friends race to
rescue her charge before The Harvest and the rise of a new form of evil, the
shadows.